1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical sliding contact arrangement and also to a method for producing the sliding contact arrangement.
Electrical sliding contact arrangements are used for transmitting electrical signals and/or electrical energy between two components mounted such that they can be moved relatively to one another. In addition to known sliding contact arrangements with linear or curved sliding paths, the present invention relates to the an electrical rotary coupling with an integrated slip ring arrangement, which essentially has two electrically conductive parts, which are mounted such they can rotate relatively to one another, concentrically about a common rotational axis, and of which one part is connected to a rotating component of the rotary coupling and the other part is connected to the stationary rotary coupling component.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A generic, compactly structured electrical rotary coupling is described in EP 2 451 028 A2, which provides an axial stack, having a multiplicity of electrically conductive slip rings of annular or disc-shaped construction, along a rotatable shaft in which the slip rings are each axially separated from one another by electrically insulating intermediate discs. Each of the slip rings is connected to an electrical signal line along the rotating shaft and thus forms an electrical transmission channel. In accordance with the number of slip rings, securely clamped brush wires are attached on one side of the stationary housing part of the rotary coupling, which individually come into tangential sliding contact with the sliding paths, which peripherally surround the slip rings. In the same way as the slip rings, the individual stationary brush wires are each respectively connected to an electrical supply and ground.
A slip ring arrangement is described in DE 10 2011 006 820 A1, which is used for electrically connecting two parts that can be rotated with respect to each other and has at least one sliding path with V grooves. At least two wire brushes run into the sliding paths, wherein the wire brushes are electrically connected to one another and arranged on different brush blocks.
DE 10 2011 077 358 B3 discloses a similar brush block arrangement for a rotationally-symmetrically constructed sliding path of the rotary coupling, in which two brushes constructed in a pin-shaped manner are in each case securely fastened on one side on different brush supports and in each case enter into tangentially sliding engagement with the sliding path.
Known electrical sliding contact arrangements, which are integrated into rotary couplings, are for the most part based on the structural combination as illustrated in FIG. 4 of a slip ring 1 rotating about a rotational axis, at the circumferential edge of which slip ring, at least one sliding path 2 is constructed, upon which sliding bodies 3 for transmitting electrical signals or electrical energy are pressed in a sliding manner and subject to a force. The sliding bodies are for the most part fastened on one side via a spring arm 4 on a brush support 5, which is connected to the stationary housing part of the rotary coupling. The spatially large structure of a sliding contact arrangement of this type, the assembly of which comprises a plurality of individual components is illustrated in FIG. 4.